


There's Something About Shepard

by Sumi



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-23 16:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13791258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/pseuds/Sumi
Summary: Ryder bumps into Shepard on a bar inside the Citadel the night before the big day.





	There's Something About Shepard

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the_wrote](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_wrote/gifts).



The Andromeda Initiative was finally ready to launch after being pushed back for nearly two years. When the total damage from the Reaper wars was finally calculated, it brought devastating news for every species in the Milky Way galaxy. An influx of signups came as a result of all the destruction. Sara’s father Alec revealed in the attention the Andromeda Initiative received as it validated years of work.

Relocating to an entirely new galaxy would be a new start for those devastated by the Reapers. Tomorrow a new life began for all the species set to travel 600 years to Andromeda. An impromptu party raged on in the half remodeled Citadel to commemorate the occasion, of which Sara only joined at the insistence of her brother Scott.

Sara took a sip of an Asari alcoholic drink Scott ordered for her about an hour ago. It sat there for nearly an hour before Sara felt the need to touch it. She became immersed in all the doubts that still remained about leaving the Milky Way for Andromeda. The sudden sound of a glass slamming against the table drew Sara’s attention towards her right. When Sara really looked it dawned on her that the person who made the noise was none other than Commander Jane Shepard.

The two of them never spoke directly or even met, but Sara knew this woman with hastily cropped red hair and a heavily scarred right cheek had to be the Commander. She was seldom seen after being pulled from the rubble of the Citadel. Any injuries Shepard sustained were kept quiet and the same went for how Shepard managed to stop the Reapers in the first place.

Being a part of her father’s pathfinder team meant she was privy to certain information such as Shepard taking the journey to Andromeda. Commander Shepard's full participation in the Andromeda project remained a closely guarded secret. It was so top secret, Sara had no idea what alias Shepard planned to use. However, Shepard sitting out in the middle of the bar didn’t help to ease rumors of her involvement. So, those on the Citadel would either have suspicions or brush it off because Shepard did reside on the Citadel.

“Yes, it's, I, Commander Jane Shepard, sitting here attempting to get wasted,” said the slightly tipsy Shepard. Apparently, she caught Sara staring right at her, which, of course, was just her luck. “And you are…?”

Sara sighed at her embarrassing own antics before closing the distance between their two seats. “Sara Ryder. I believe you’re familiar with my father, Alec Ryder.”

“I suspected you might be part of the Ryder clan, but one should never make assumptions. Unless it’s about Reaper invasions.”

The last part was muttered underneath Commander Shepard’s breath, but now with Sara having moved seats, she was close enough to unintentionally hear it. It brought an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew of the Council’s inaction despite all of the Commander’s warnings over the years. Sara thought them to be foolish and admired Shepard for the strong woman she was and still is.

“My brother and I used to mock the Council endlessly… not to their face, but there was mocking being done,” Sara commented, taking a rather large gulp of her drink that was in desperate need of being attended to.

Shepard smirked. “I did the mocking to their face. They already blacklisted me by that point so I thought, why not vent my frustrations out on them.”

It nearly caused Sara to let out a loud, unruly giggle. She ended up finishing her drink in order to suppress any more laughing, but this only added to the amusement Sara felt over Shepard’s words. “Well, dad says Andromeda is a chance to build something new… which I think is total bullshit. The only reason I decided to participate in this project is that my brother begged me too.”

Sara didn’t expect Shepard to respond to her comment. It was a "beging to get tipsy" admission from chugging her drink on an empty stomach, and she would have never said out loud at all if not influenced by this Asari drink. However, Shepard surprised her and leaned closer.

“Figured it would be a chance at a new life,” Shepard admitted, voice dropping to just above a whisper. “The idea was originally Joker’s, the Normandy pilot. He said if not for his sister, he'd be signing up right along with me.”

“So… it really will be a fresh start for you Commander, won't it?” Sara had lowered her own voice to a whisper. She felt it best if others were not privy to their conversation.

Shepard laughed and the most alarming thing about it is that it sounded genuine; unlike the other ones which held a small amount of bitterness. “You can call me Jane. I'm no longer a Commander of anything and I’m not alone. I brought along my space hamster, Cornelius. There’s also my best friend and most trusted crew member, but he'll be traveling on the Turian ark. Important position and all that.”

“Dad never offered you a bigger part of the project?”

“He did around the time we first discovered the Reapers, but I declined. Alec never asked again.”

Sara refused to pry into Shepard’s desire to start anew in Andromeda. She knew that the Commander struggled with recovery after being pulled out of the rubble from the Citadel. Whatever happened was Shepard’s business, but Sara would continue to quietly admire the Commander and enjoy their easy-going conversation.

The two of them sat there at the bar just drinking their alcoholic beverages of choice and talking off and on. At some point, Sara blurted out that she felt herself growing tired and perhaps she and Shepard should head back to her rented room to continue the party. If Scott had been present at that moment, he would’ve laughed. Since Sara would eventually tell him, she could almost picture the sight of her brother standing there, doubled over with laughter over her lack of tact.

Sara immediately felt a wave of nervousness when they stepped into the room. She had a few one night stands in the past, but this was with Commander Jane Shepard. A bit of hero worship always existed when it came to her. However, talking until the wee hours of the morning forced Sara to see Shepard in more of a down to earth manner and she felt grateful for that.

“Shepard--” Sara began to say, only to be cut off immediately by the Commander.

“It’s either just Jane or I’m afraid sexy times cannot begin.”

She laughed managing to overcome her nerves and reached forward to press her lips against Shepard’s. The response from Shepard was instantaneous. Jane kissed back while starting to lead them towards Sara’s bed.

Sara felt her knees hit the back of the bed and broke the kiss for some much-needed air. “So Jane…”

Like before, Sara’s was cut off from finishing her sentence. “As much as I appreciate that you're using my first name, I think it’s best we save talking for later.”

Instead of speaking, Sara chose to just nod in agreement.

~*~

The next morning Sara began to stir just a few minutes before eight. When she finally dragged herself into a sitting position, Sara noticed that Jane was awake, sitting hunched over at the end of the bed already half dressed.

“I hope last night isn’t leading to you doing the walk of shame,” Sara half-joked, tone slurring because of how tired she still felt. “If it is, let me pretend to be asleep. It’s always easier if the person is asleep.”

Jane huffed in amusement. “I’ve been off active duty for nearly two years, but I can’t shake the habit of waking up early. I figured one of us should at least sleep until I finally decided to wake you up after my patience wore out.”

“How considerate of you.” She said it half jokingly and half seriously.

A quick glance at the time told Sara she should consider getting up soon. If Sara didn’t start getting ready, she would be late and since Sara was a part of Alec Ryder’s main team, it would be sure to reflect badly. Truth be told, Sara wasn’t thrilled at starting the beginning of a 600-year nap. For Scott, Sara would stick to the commitment she made and a part of that meant arriving on time.

Jane must’ve noticed her attention had drifted to the time because she spoke suddenly, breaking Sara out of her thoughts. “I’m going to leave and let you get ready. I have my own loose ends to tie up before setting out.”

While Sara was reluctant to end the night, logically she realized now was probably the best time to end it. “See you again, in Andromeda?”

“You know it.”


End file.
